Contents

History

In 1981 under the decision of the 6th All-American Council, the Diocese of Washington was formed by splitting the territories of southern Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, and northern Virginia from the Diocese of New York and New Jersey. The purpose of establishing the new diocese was two fold: to establish the see of the ruling hierarch of the OCA in the national capital of the United States as is the norm in other Orthodox Churches, and to provide a smaller diocese for the ruling hierarch to administer, making it easier to attend the duties of leading the OCA as a whole.

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Washington, DC, The Cathedra of the Ruling Hierarch of the OCA

In 2005 under the decision of the Holy Synod, the diocese was re-united with the Diocese of New York and New Jersey following the retirement of Abp. Peter, who was the ruling hierarch of the New York/New Jersey diocese. In making the change, the name of the diocese was changed to the Diocese of Washington and New York, thus retaining Washington as the seat of the united diocese.

However, in 2009, the Holy Synod reversed this decision, returning to the diocesan structure existing from 1981-2005.

Parishes

At the time of its establishment the Diocese of Washington contained five parishes, namely: